58
J\L,"\;
USCRIPTS
remnants 0 f cloth collected over many years. These pieces were
recognized as old friends. Here and there one recognized a dress
or blouse long ago outgrown or outworn. J ulita took these pieces,
cutting them into all shapes, and then reconstructed them with her
needle and thread into pieced quilts. Fan shapes and wedding rings
made beautiful and warm quilts for wintry nights, and the ingredients
were like old friends.
J ulita left us many years ago, but her belongings are still with
us. Her trunk, without the apples, will probably outl ive other members of the family. It holds her clothes and is always referred to as
"julita's Trunk." The sight of that trunk and the smell of ripe apples
bring back memories of the one grandmother I knew so well.
*
Television Commercials-the
Scourge
of the Age
Jay Judd
T
American public is today being subjected to one of the
r~10st 1110nstr?us onslaughts of propaga.ncla in history.
Sometimes decep~lve, often exaggerated,
this propaganda
ha: bL~t
one goal.--to entice the gullible citizenry to purchase somethll~g: It
often neither needs nor wants. Commonly known as the television
commercial, this form of mass paycheck murder comes in a variet)~
of shapes and forms, but it can generally be categorized into one ot
fO~l1' basic groups.
These are the "Super Salesman Type," the "Somethl11g for Nothing Type," the "Best in the Ilusiness Type," and the
"Negative Approach Type."
The "Super Salesman" commercial is aimed at CItIZen Gullible
Gus, wh? bas too good a credit rating, too little intelligence, and no
sales resistance.
Gus can readily be convinced that he is presently
using an inferior product and, f urtherrnore,
is paying too much for
it. He is fair prey to the !Zing and Charles Antell, anc! undoubtedly
deserves what he gets.
Gullible Gus is not alone in his affinity for punishrnent.He
is
joined by a host of his compatriots in his eagerness to be taken by
the "Something for Nothing"
boys. He has a house full of topless
cereal boxes, wrapperless bars of soap, and unlabeled fruit cans, for
which he has received model airplanes, combination potato-peelerand-back-scratchers,
and other worthless trivia. Gus could stop all
this, but only at the risk of having little Aloysius call him a traitor
to Wild Bill Hickock.
The "Something
for Nothing" advertisements,
however, have
nothing on the "Best in the Business" commercials. Aimed at creating dissatisfaction and undermining competitive products, these commercials keep poor Gus and his neighbors in a tizzy trying to figure
HE
MAN
USCRIPTS
59
out how Ford can be better than Chevrolet when Chevrolet is better
than Plymouth and Plymouth is better than Ford. And how can
Gus' brand of cigarettes be good if it's not toasted, has no micron
filter, is not treated with Acu-Ray, and provides a treatment instead
of a treat?
These problems are of little interest to Gus' wife; considering
hersel f superior to the sales methods we 've discussed, she falls prey
to the ..Negative Approach."
She relaxes to the delightful patter of
Godfrey and Tennessee Ernie, blissfully unaware of the fact that
her subconscious is being bombarded with subtle buying hints. She
may be unaware of what is going on, but Gus comes to a rude and
sorrowful realization when she comes home from a shopping spree
with the family chariot loaded to the roof.
I have treated this problem lightly, but a serious problem it is.
Television commercials are necessary if the American populace is to
remain entertained;
someone must pick up the tab. The answer lies
in the hands of the American people. As long as we condone the
quality of the advertising we see by purchasing the sponsor's products,
we will continue to be deluged with trash. It's up to us.
A Remarkable
Piece of Paper
Howell Lloyd
everywhere we normal American c!~izen~ cO.1T~e
in contact WIth that common substance-paper.
I he significance of
its thousands of uses never enters our minds, although we certainly would be lost in its absence. The money we use to buy both
necessities and pleasures is paper; the books and newspapers we read
daily are paper; the patterned material that covers the walls of many
of our homes is paper; even the legal proof that we were born,
our birth certificates, are paper. For me, however, one piece of paper,
free for the asking, is a magic key that opens many doors. This key,
strange as it may seem, is the ordinary multi-colored map. In the
past maps have afforded me both infinite pleasures and solutions
to vexing problems: in the future I expect them to make possible
many more enjoyable hours and answer the numerous questions I
shall have. Each map is, to me, a masterpiece that represents the
diligent, but worthwhile labor of many skilled cartographers.
The
tremendous
amount of surveying and drawing, photography and
calculating, that enters into the production of these travel guides is
very seldom realized or appreciated by their users.
As I gaze at a map, I do not see merely a jumble of lines, colors,
and symbols that have no meaning, but an intricate picture-a
panorama of beauty and excitement waiting to be viewed and experienced.
If the sheet of paper spread out before me is a repl-esentation of some
distant portion of the globe, my imagination is aroused, and I can
see the swiftflowing rivers and placid lakes, majestic mountains and
cool valleys, mighty cities and petite villages. If, however, this 111ap
E
VERYDX::',
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